DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Uber Eats is launching robot deliveries in Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Uber Eats customers in Japan can soon have an autonomous robot deliver their food on the streets of Tokyo. Japan will be the first international market to have autonomous delivery available on the Uber Eats platform. Uber Eats is launching robot delivery services in Japan. Uber Eats and Cartken first partnered to launch autonomous robot delivery services in parts of Miami in 2022, and expanded robot delivery to Fairfax, Virginia, last year. “In the future, we will work with buildings and factory infrastructure, which is one of our strengths, so autonomous robots will be able to deliver inside various facilities.”

Persons: Uber, Cartken, Shoji Tanaka, ” Tanaka, ” Organizations: CNN, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Electric, Cartken’s, Germany, Development Division Locations: Japan, Tokyo, Miami, Fairfax , Virginia

☆ Instagram and Threads will no longer promote ‘political’ content. No one knows what they define as ‘political’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —What constitutes “political” content? “Our goal is to preserve the ability for people to choose to interact with political content, while respecting each person’s appetite for it,” Mosseri explained. “Meta seems unable to define ‘political’ content,” Charlie Warzel, a staff writer at The Atlantic who covers the intersection of technology, politics, and culture, told me. According to Meta’s Ad Library, the company has raked in more than $4 billion in political and social issues ad spending since 2018. It’s not just limited to social issues.

Persons: Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, ” Mosseri, Elon Musk’s, “, ” Judd Legum, ”, Mark Cuban, Charlie Warzel, Mosseri, ” Parker Malloy, It’s, Taylor, Jimmy Kimmel, Warzel Organizations: New York CNN, Popular Information, Washington , D.C, Meta, Meta’s Ad Locations: New York, Washington ,

☆ How to deal with mom rage, from a psychologist who experienced it herself
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Before I got pregnant, I'd never heard about mom rage. I want to speak out about mom rage to push back on that stigma. I spoke up about my rage that society told me I couldn't be a mom and career woman, rage that I cared what other people thought, rage that I had internalized the shame other people put on me. Trying to can fuel mom rage. Motherhood is full of seasons, and I suspect that all of them will come with a bit of mom rage.

Persons: —, Lauren Cook, I'd, I've, Derek, it's, I'm Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Norman Jewison, Filmmaker Who Spanned Genres, Is Dead at 97
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Dennis Lim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

His death was confirmed by a spokesman for the family, Jeff Sanderson. He declined to specify where Mr. Jewison lived, saying that the family requested privacy. Mr. Jewison, whose career began in Canadian television and spanned more than 50 years, was, like his close friend Sidney Lumet and a select few other directors, best known for making films that addressed social issues. The most celebrated of those was “In the Heat of the Night” (1967), one of his earliest features and his first Oscar-winning film. It went on to win five Academy Awards, including best picture and best actor, for Mr. Steiger.

Persons: Norman Jewison, —, ” —, Jeff Sanderson, Jewison, Sidney Lumet, Oscar, Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Steiger Organizations: Black Philadelphia, police, “ Locations: American, Black, Detroit, Newark

☆ I went to school for architecture but realized I hated it. Here's how I found my dream career as a writer.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Meehika Barua | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewWhen I first started college, I knew I wanted to study architecture and become an architect. But at 19, I was in the middle of my second year of studying architecture as an undergrad, and I realized that I hated the coursework. Though I graduated with a degree in architecture, I decided to become a freelance writer instead. I eventually realized I wanted to write about anything and everything — from fashion and lifestyle to tech and social issues. AdvertisementBy the time I finished my architecture degree, I had successfully carved out a career as a freelance writer for my dream publications.

Persons: —, I'd, Rachel Green, Susan Shapiro Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Doug Burgum, Wealthy North Dakota Governor, Ends White House Run
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jonathan Weisman | More About Jonathan Weisman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Doug Burgum of North Dakota, the wealthy former software executive who entered the presidential campaign in June hoping a back-to-basics appeal on the economy would propel him forward, dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination on Monday. Though his personal fortune could keep his campaign afloat, Mr. Burgum’s mild demeanor and resolute focus on three issues, the economy, energy and foreign policy, never caught on with a G.O.P. electorate steeped in the pugilistic flash of Donald J. Trump and the more visceral appeal of social issues. His base in tiny, remote North Dakota and a short political résumé had given him almost no name recognition when he began the campaign, leaving even his home-state constituents wondering how he might rise in a crowded field laboring in the shadow of the former president and prohibitive front-runner, Mr. Trump. But Mr. Burgum believed there was a market for his business acumen — he sold his software company to Microsoft for $1 billion — and a kitchen-table focus that resolutely avoided confrontation with Mr. Trump or anybody else in the field.

Persons: Doug Burgum, Donald J, Trump, résumé, Burgum, — Organizations: Republican, Mr, Microsoft Locations: North Dakota

☆ Luyanda Mpahlwa’s pioneering architectural journey fuels social upliftment in South Africa
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Lauren Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —As a young boy growing up in the 1960s in Mthatha, South Africa, Luyanda Mpahlwa loved to draw houses. Mpahlwa was among the first Black Africans permitted to study architecture in South Africa. “South Africa was in a state of emergency,” he said. There, he earned a master’s degree in architecture from the Technical University of Berlin in 1989 and began working for Pysall.Ruge, a design firm based in what is now the German capital. “The reality is the majority of people of South Africa live in conditions that are actually below what we should be defining as an urban environment,” he said.

Persons: Luyanda Mpahlwa, ”, Mpahlwa, Nelson Mandela, “, Curry, ” Mpahlwa, iThemba, “ We’ve Organizations: CNN, Town, Design Network, South, Radisson, Technical University of Berlin, Pysall.Ruge, Technikon Natal, Durban University of Technology, Embassy, African Institute of Architects, MMA, Department of Basic Education, Design, Lutheran Community Center Locations: Mthatha, South Africa, Robben, ”, Cape Town, “ South Africa, Berlin, Germany, Luyanda, Africa, “, Eastern, Cape Town’s, Kosovo, Philippi Township, Western Cape

☆ Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman Supreme Court justice, dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Ariane De Vogue | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who blazed trails as the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, has died, the court announced Friday morning. O’Connor inspired generations of female lawyers – including the five women who served after her nomination on the high court. O’Connor stepped down from the court in 2006 to care for her husband who was ailing from Alzheimer’s disease. Key vote on abortion, affirmative action, Bush v. GoreDuring her tenure, the court for a time was known informally as the “O’Connor Court” because she served as the deciding vote in so many controversial cases. O’Connor was well aware of the symbolism of her place in history as the first female justice.

Persons: Sandra Day O’Connor, O’Connor, John Roberts, ”, Ronald Reagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, George W, Bush, Samuel Alito, William Rehnquist, John O’Connor, “, ” O’Connor, James Forman, ’ ” Forman, Gore, Casey, Donald Trump’s, O’Conner, Marci Hamilton, ” Hamilton, Alito, Roe, Wade Organizations: CNN, ”, Stanford University, Stanford Law School, Maricopa County Superior Court, of Appeals, University of Michigan, Supreme Court, Republican Locations: Arizona, Maricopa County

☆ What the "Letter to America" backlash could mean for the first major "TikTok election"
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Jasmine Enberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Osama Bin Laden's 2002 "Letter to America" went viral, sparking discourse on TikTok's misinformation problem. 2024's "TikTok election" will have a major impact on how people consume political news. TikTok videos of American users sympathizing with the letter sparked shockwaves and a deluge of commentary that reverberated far beyond the 'For You' feed. But many of those posts contained the few dozen TikTok videos in question, and their rapid spread and the ensuing backlash emphasize the dilemma that TikTok faces ahead of what is already shaping up to be a contentious election year. A post on X containing #LettertoAmerica TikTok videos, for example, has racked up over 32 million views and was still up on the platform on Friday, even after TikTok had removed many videos from its own platform.

Persons: Osama Bin, —, TikTok, hashtag, hasn't, Gen, Biden, Meta's Organizations: Service, CNN, Republican, Intelligence, Pew Research Center, Facebook, TikTok Locations: America, Brookings, Facebook's

☆ Biden signs stopgap spending bill to avert government shutdown - White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Leaders event at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Brittany Hosea-Small Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden signed on Thursday a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown, a day after the Senate passed it, the White House said. Biden signed the document on the sidelines of a dinner at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, where leaders are attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson had produced the stopgap funding bill that drew broad bipartisan support, a rarity in modern U.S. politics. Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Gokul Pisharody ; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Brittany Hosea, Biden, Mike Johnson, Trevor Hunnicutt, Clarence Fernandez, Kim Coghill Organizations: Economic, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Legion, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, . House, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco, Washington

☆ Biden signs stopgap spending bill to avert govt shutdown- White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The last near-miss with shutdown led to the Oct. 3 ouster of Republican U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy that left the chamber leaderless for three weeks. "No drama, no delay, no government shutdown," Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said prior to the vote. McCarthy's successor, Speaker Mike Johnson, produced a stopgap funding bill that drew broad bipartisan support, a rarity in modern U.S. politics. But hardline members of Johnson's 221-213 Republican majority voiced anger at the compromise, saying they would try to rein in federal spending again when current funding expires. Funding for all other federal operations - including defense - would expire on Feb. 2.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, Mike Johnson, Biden, Chip Roy, Andy Sullivan, Scott Malone, Lisa Shumaker, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Senate, Republican U.S . House, Democratic, Republican, Representatives, Republicans, Food and Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Washington, Iowa, U.S, Israel, Ukraine

☆ How Haley could eclipse DeSantis to become the Trump alternative
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Ron Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

But many Republican strategists believe that DeSantis’ struggles to connect with voters, and his choice to run at Trump solely from the right, have opened a lane for Haley to eclipse the Florida governor. An array of recent polls, both nationally and in the battleground states, signal that DeSantis and Haley have separated themselves from the rest of the candidates chasing Trump. “Absolutely, Nikki Haley has more upside than DeSantis if they are both viable after the first two,” argued Alex Stroman, a former executive director of the South Carolina GOP. DeSantis, Ayres argued, has “has tried to appeal to some of the ‘always Trump’ voters, but the ‘always Trump’ voters are always Trump for a reason. Nikki Haley seems to have figured out the job is to consolidate the ‘maybe Trump’ voters who supported Trump twice but now … want a different style and different temperament.”Republicans sympathetic to DeSantis argue that it is Haley who has boxed herself in.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Trump, “ You’ve, ”, Tom Rath, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Haley, Republican pollster Whit Ayres, Alice Stewart, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Scott, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, Kim Reynolds, Huckabee, Santorum, Cruz, John McCain, Mitt Romney, ’, Ayres, Rath, George W, Bush, “, ” Dante Scala –, –, Scala, GOPers, ” Haley, McCain, Linus, ‘, ’ ”, he’s, Newt Gingrich, Alex Stroman, DeSantis “, ” Ayres, Ayres ’ “, tellingly, MAGA —, dethroning, ” Scala, Mike Murphy, who’s, Joe Biden, ” Murphy, There’s, Sen, Gary Hart parlayed, Hart, Walter Mondale, Chris Sununu, DeSantis ’, Yogi Berra, ” Rath Organizations: CNN, GOP, Florida Gov, South Carolina Gov, ”, Republicans, Trump, Republican, Washington Post, New, New Jersey Gov, South, Huckabee, New Hampshire GOP, University of New, Romney, South Carolina GOP, “, dethroning Trump, Democratic Locations: Florida, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa, New Jersey, Granite State, University of New Hampshire, After New Hampshire, Gaza, DeSantis, Haley, Iowa , New Hampshire

Another off-year election, another good night for Democrats – a rejoinder to a spate of recent polls showing alarming 2024 prospects for President Joe Biden. In Election Day’s marquee contests – the Kentucky gubernatorial race, Virginia’s legislative elections and a pro-abortion-rights ballot measure in Ohio – Democrats notched victories. Beyond that, “the real test was Trump’s ability to move voters in a state race,” Cross says. Tate Reeves won a second term – though the race was relatively close for a deep red state. In the secretary of state race, incumbent Michael Watson, a Republican, outran Reeves by more than 8 points in defeating Democrat Ty Pinkins.

Persons: Democrats –, Joe Biden, Andy Beshear, Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s, Beshear, Biden, Cameron, Glenn Youngkin, ”, Roe, Wade, Beshear’s, Al Cross, Cross, “ I’m, Rich Meagher, Youngkin, “, Paul Beck, Daniel McCaffery, Carolyn Carluccio, Larry Ceisler, Micah Rasmussen, Rider, –, Tate Reeves, Democrat Brandon Presley, Elvis Presley, Reeves, Democrat hasn’t, Presley, Jim Hood, “ Reeves, Steve Rozman, Donald Trump’s, Reeves “, ” Rozman, Republican Russell Coleman, Pamela Stevenson, Michael Adams –, Buddy Wheatley, Lynn Fitch, Democrat Greta Kemp Martin, Michael Watson, outran Reeves, Ty Pinkins, Mark Brewer Organizations: Democrats, Kentucky gubernatorial, Democratic, Republican, GOP, University of Kentucky’s Institute for Rural Journalism, Macon College, Senate, Republicans, Ohio State University, Rebovich Institute for New, Democrat, Public Service Commission, Mississippi, College, University of Maine Locations: Ohio, Kentucky, In Virginia, Letcher, Perry County, Hazard, Breathitt County, Jackson, Virginia, Randolph, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, ”, New Jersey, Jersey, Rebovich Institute for New Jersey, Mississippi, Maine

☆ Meta prohibits generative AI tools for political ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

A company spokesperson told CNN that Meta has updated its policies surrounding the advertising tools to restrict their use by ad campaigns that may be related to elections, politics and social issues. The generative AI features in question include a tool that can automatically propose changes to content that is uploaded by advertisers and that offers to improve an ad’s effectiveness. Other tools affected by the restrictions include one that creates product backgrounds and another that edits marketing text. In September, a bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation to ban the use of so-called AI “deepfakes” from political ads. And in August, the Federal Election Commission kickstarted a process that could eventually regulate or prohibit the use of AI in political ads.

Organizations: CNN, Meta, Housing, Employment, Health, Pharmaceuticals, Financial Services, Reuters

Five Black candidates are running for statewide office, from agriculture commissioner to secretary of state. A common complaint is about a purging of voter rolls that has caused problems for Black voters as recently as this year’s August primary. Many other states in recent years have taken steps to reinstate voting rights for former felons. Critics also said it was another way to make it harder for Black voters to elect candidates of their choice. That sentiment is especially strong on college campuses, a focal point of several of the Black candidates running for statewide office.

Persons: JACKSON, Tiffany Wilburn, ” Wilburn, Wilburn, “, ”, Glennard Warren, Robert Bradford, “ We’ve, Taylor Turnage, I’ve, ‘ You’re, they’re, it’s, carjacking, what’s, Danyelle Holmes, Marvin King, Jackson, Tate Reeves, Brandon Presley, Critics, Ty Pinkins, Austin Crudup, Emily Wagster Pettus, Gary Fields, Jonathan Logan Organizations: Black, Republicans, Democratic, Mississippi, U.S, Supreme, Circuit, University of Mississippi, Republican Gov, Republican, Legislature, Jackson, Mississippi Supreme, Jackson State University, Associated Press, Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, AP Locations: Miss, Black, Jackson, Mississippi, Vicksburg, Tougaloo, In Mississippi, Jackson , Mississippi, Washington

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — In a closing message to voters in this year's closely watched Virginia legislative elections, Republican Gov. Virginia is one of four states — the others are Louisiana, Mississippi and New Jersey — with legislative elections this year. The legislative candidates are running this year under maps redrawn during the last redistricting. He said he was “cautiously confident” about the possibility of a GOP trifecta — both legislative chambers as well as the governorship. Biden, who has not announced any plans to campaign in Virginia before Tuesday, recently sent a fundraising email on behalf of Virginia candidates and issued nearly two dozen endorsements.

Persons: Glenn Youngkin, Youngkin, “, we'll, ” Youngkin, Youngkin's, Virginia's, It's, Roe, Wade, there's, ” Sen, Monty Mason, Danny Diggs, Democrat Joe Biden, Diggs, Virginia doesn't, —, “ We're, ” Kay James, Rich Anderson, “ MAGA, “ MAGA Republicans ”, Donald Trump's “, Biden, ”, Heather Williams Organizations: Republican Gov, Republican, Democratic, Virginians, General Assembly, Supreme, Youngkin's PAC, GOP, Democrat, Republican Party of Virginia, Democrats, U.S . House, “ MAGA Republicans, Biden's, Republicans, Democratic Legislative Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Virginia, Louisiana , Mississippi, New Jersey, Southern, U.S, Richmond, Tidewater, Washington, Yorktown, Commonwealth

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An acquaintance has been charged in the death of a Philadelphia journalist who went from sleeping on the street to working for the mayor to writing urgent columns on the city’s most pressing social issues. Robert Edmond Davis, 19, faces murder, weapons counts and related charges in the death of Josh Kruger, 39, who was shot and killed at his Philadelphia home Oct. 2. Kruger was shot seven times at about 1:30 a.m. and collapsed in the street after seeking help, police said. Kruger handled social media for the mayor and communications for the Office of Homeless Services from about 2016 to 2021. He wrote at various times for Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia City Paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications, earning awards for his poignant and often humorous style.

Persons: Robert Edmond Davis, Josh Kruger, Davis, Damica Davis, Kruger, there’s, “, ”, University’s, JoAnne Epps, bicyclist Organizations: PHILADELPHIA, Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, Authorities, Philadelphia Inquirer, City Hall, The Philadelphia Citizen, Council, of Homeless Services, Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia City, Elon Twitter Locations: Philadelphia, America, Rittenhouse

Another conceded that Kennedy could be a real threat to Trump, particularly when it comes to vaccines. They’re less likely to answer the phone for pollsters.”Trump had initially praised Kennedy after he launched his Democratic primary bid. The Biden campaign declined to comment. Third Way, which has been leading the charge against No Labels for Democrats, has had only informal and indirect contact with the Biden campaign and the president’s top advisers. The DNC’s involvement so far has been participating in a couple of video calls Third Way has hosted with groups of state Democratic Party officials, according to Matt Bennett of Third Way.

Persons: Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Kennedy, Cornel West, Trump Republicans eyeing, “, ” “, ” Trump, Steven Cheung, “ …, Megyn Kelly, ”, They’re, Kennedy’s, we’re, ” Matt Wilhelm, “ I’m, West’s, George W, Ralph Nader, ” Nader, Nader, “ I’ll, Peter Daou, Daou, Vermont Sen, Bernie Sanders, Sanders, Matt Bennett, “ I’ve, I’ve, Virginia Sen, Joe Manchin, Nancy Jacobson Organizations: CNN, GOP, Democratic, Trump Republicans, Voters, Republican National, RFK, White, Trump, Fox News, “ Granite, New Hampshire House, RNC, Democratic National Committee, Biden, West, Green Party, Green, Washington Post, Democratic Party, Greens, Vermont, West’s Green Party, ” Locations: Ukraine, New Hampshire, West, Virginia

☆ How an Army combat medic pivoted to filmmaking, thanks in part to a Sundance program that fostered directors like Ryan Coogler and Chloe Zhao
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Directors Lab, which goes back 40 years and claims graduates from Quentin Tarantino and Gina Prince-Bythewood to Ryan Coogler to Chloe Zhao, is a supercharged accelerator for new filmmakers. Rashad Frett, right, a member of the 2023 Directors Lab, speaks with Michelle Satter, founding director of the Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program. It's a 20-minute short that screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January; Fretts' time at the Directors Lab was devoted to developing it into a feature, filming multiple scenes. But it took a few tries before his application to join the Directors Lab was successful, he said. Rashad Frett works on his short film "Ricky" during this year's Directors Lab, conducted by the Sundance Institute.

Persons: Rashad Frett, Frett, Quentin Tarantino, Gina Prince, Bythewood, Ryan Coogler, Chloe Zhao, Michelle Satter, who's, Sciences Jean Hersholt, Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks, Carol Littleton, Satter, —, Jonathan Hickerson, he'd, Spike Lee, Ricky, Lin Que Ayoung, It's, Fretts, Sam Emenogu, Joan Darling, Joan Tewkesbury, it's, he's, Reed Alexander Organizations: Army, Sundance, Labs, Hollywood, of Motion Picture Arts, Sciences, New York University, NYU, Sundance Film, Lab, Sundance Institute Locations: New York, Sundance, Utah, New, Hollywood

BEIJING, Sept 22 (Reuters) - A leading activist in China's #MeToo movement went on trial for subversion on Friday, according to several diplomats and a spokesperson for a campaign group calling for her release. The day before her arrest, Huang had been scheduled to fly to Britain to begin a master's degree at the University of Sussex on a British government-funded scholarship, the campaign group spokesperson said. Huang, an independent journalist who covered Chinese #MeToo allegations and the 2019 Hong Kong anti-government protests, had been detained by Chinese police for three months in late 2019. The campaign group spokesperson said the charges of sedition against her and Wang were based on the gatherings the two activists often held for Chinese youth during which they discussed social issues. The police did not respond to a faxed request to comment on the allegations made by the campaign spokesperson.

Persons: Huang Xueqin, Wang Jianbing, Huang, Wang, Laurie Chen, Miral Organizations: People's, University of Sussex, Police, British Foreign Office, Hong, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China's, Guangzhou, United States, Britain, Germany, France, Netherlands, Beijing, Hong Kong

☆ Huang Xueqin: Chinese activists expected to appear in secret trial as civil society crackdown deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Independent journalist and #MeToo activist Huang Xueqin and labor rights activist Wang Jianbing were detained by authorities in the southern city of Guangzhou in September 2021. Rights advocates say Huang and Wang are unlikely to receive a fair trial in a judicial system controlled by the party with a conviction rate above 99.9%. Wang Jianbing, a labor rights activist, was detained along with #MeToo activist Huang Xueqin in September 2021. #FreeXueBing/AP/FILE‘Isolated atoms’A close friend of Huang told CNN the journalist had suffered significant weight loss in detention and stopped menstruating for months. In the months following their detention, more than 70 friends and supporters of Huang and Wang were summoned by the police for questioning, according to supporters.

Persons: Huang Xueqin, Wang Jianbing, Huang, Wang, ”, William Nee, “ Huang, ” Nee, menstruating, Huang’s, –, “, it’s, ’, Sarah Brooks Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist, People’s, CNN, Rights, Human, Guangzhou Public Security, University of Sussex, Authorities, Human Rights, Amnesty Locations: China, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, United Kingdom, “

☆ Disney CEO says company will 'quiet the noise' in culture wars -analyst
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Items with a rainbow-coloured design are seen in a Pride section of a gift shop at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Florida, U.S. July 30, 2022. REUTERS/Octavio Jones/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSept 20 (Reuters) - Walt Disney (DIS.N) CEO Bob Iger told investors the company will "quiet the noise" in a culture war that has pitted social conservatives against the global media and entertainment conglomerate, according to an analyst note on Wednesday. Iger previously said the company planned to spend $17 billion in investment at Walt Disney World over the next 10 years. At the time, Iger was responding to an investor who said the company was becoming too concerned with social issues. “Our primary mission needs to be to entertain ... and to have a positive impact on the world,” Iger said at the time.

Persons: Octavio Jones, Walt Disney, Bob Iger, Laura Martin, Disney, Wall, Ron DeSantis, “, Iger, Halle, Ariel, ” Iger, Dawn Chmielewski, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Walt Disney, REUTERS, Needham, Walt Disney World, Disney, ESPN, Central, Universal Orlando, Parks, Pixar Animation, Thomson Locations: Orlando , Florida, U.S, Florida, Central Florida, Halle Bailey, Los Angeles

☆ Trump, DeSantis go head-to-head at key conservative group summits in DC
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a South Dakota Republican party rally in Rapid City, South Dakota, September 8, 2023. Ron DeSantis, is also scheduled to speak at the two summits hosted by the Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee and the Family Research Council. Casey DeSantis is also taking a lead role in "Mamas for DeSantis," a campaign initiative aimed at mothers. And yet, national polls of the Republican primary field give Trump a commanding lead among both men and women. Just 14% of women in the same group picked DeSantis, while 5% chose former United Nations Amb.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jonathan Ernst, Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tommy Tuberville, Mike Pence, Sen, Tim Scott of, Vivek Ramaswamy —, Pence, Ramaswamy, Trump, Jean Carroll, defaming Carroll, Melania Trump, Casey DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Joe Biden, Biden, Roe, Wade, Penny Nance, Trump's Organizations: U.S, Republican, South, South Dakota Republican, Washington , D.C, Florida Gov, Women, America Legislative, Family Research, Research, CWA, GOP, Trump, Quinnipiac University, United Nations, Democratic Locations: South Dakota, Rapid City , South Dakota, Washington ,, Sens, Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, Alabama, Tim Scott of South Carolina, U.S

☆ Jamila Woods’s Songs Have Many Loves
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Lindsay Zoladz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Most people first heard Woods’s voice — warm, heartfelt and sincere — when she was featured on gospel-tinged tracks by Chance the Rapper (“Blessings”) and Segal (“Sunday Candy”). Each song took the name of a different pioneer: “Zora,” “Miles,” “Octavia.”That’s not to say there wasn’t any Jamila in them. “With ‘Legacy!,’ there’s a lot of songs where I was actually writing a lot about myself, but I’m like, ‘I’ll call it ‘Sonia!’” she said and laughed. “Water Made Us,” which she considers her most personal and vulnerable album to date, found her “shedding” armor. I don’t need to put that layer on top of it anymore.”“Water Made Us” is all about Woods’s own search for love.

Persons: Woods, Chance, Segal, Candy ”, “, ”, Tubman ”, Zora, ” “ Miles, ” “ Octavia, ” That’s, Sonia, ’ ”, ‘, It’s, Said it’s

Search resuls for: "Social Issues."

25 mentions found